Bavarian Beer and Music Festival comes to Kirkcaldy in September

Tanya Scoon

Kirkcaldy’s town square is set to be turned into a little bit of Bavaria when it hosts the bi-annual Bavarian Beer and Music Festival in September.

The first Bavarian Beer festival was held in the town Square in August 2003, celebrating 40 years of the twinning link between Kirkcaldy and Ingolstadt in Bavaria and the Golden Anniversary of the Town House.

Robert Main, chairman of the Kirkcaldy Ingolstadt Association

Following on from this success the festival moved to the Beveridge Park in 2006 as part of the Hot Air Balloon Festival and again in 2008 as part of the Beveridge Park Community Festival.

In September 2012, 50 years of the twinning link was celebrated in the Festival of Friendship returning to the Town Square where it has remained.

This year it will run from September 1-4, when a huge marquee will take over the square. It will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the signing of the German Purity Law (Rheinheitsgebot) on the brewing of beer in Kirkcaldy’s twin town of Ingolstadt, and also mark 20 years of the Kirkcaldy Ingolstadt Association set up to form social, educational, economic and cultural links between the two towns.

The event is being supported by Fife Council and Kirkcaldy4All, the local bid company.

To mark the special occasion, 59 hectolitres of traditional Bavarian beer, including 1600 bottles of the specially brewed Jubilee Beer celebrating the 1516 edict, are being imported from Herrnbrau, the independent Ingolstadt brewery. There will also be the traditional festival and wheat beers on offer while entertainment will be provided by a 17 piece professional festival band from Ingolstadt playing rousing traditional beer festival music.

For those feeling a bit peckish, there will be a German food stall selling popular Bratwurst and Kartoffelsalat.

Robert Main, chairman of the Kirkcaldy Ingolstadt Association for the past 15 years, said: “The Festival is of particular significance this year in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Rheinheitsgebot. I am exceptionally pleased that the Association is able to mark this milestone occasion locally with a programme of celebration of twinning by delivering a typical Bavarian programme with our Ingolstadt friends for the benefit of the Fife community.”

Once again admission to the festival will be free, with patrons paying for their food and drink.

As part of the Township celebrations the marquee will host a Community Festival the weekend before (August 27 and 28) with various community groups performing.

Mr Main added: “There has already been a significant amount of interest from the local community, with more than 1000 hits on our Facebook page. It will definitely be a festival for everyone.”